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Back to School: College students get first-day jitters, too

Motivational speaker Juan Bendana will be touring campuses across Ontario, including Georgian College, to help them through any challenging issues

More 4,000 new students will head to Georgian College in a few days with questions, concerns and anxiety.

Juan Bendana hopes he's able to help with all of the above and can guide many of the students through this difficult time.

Bendana is a 25-year-old motivational speaker who is getting ready for a whirlwind tour of the many high schools and post-secondary facilities he speaks to every year.

The Pickering native will visit Georgian College in Barrie on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

“This is the calm before the storm for me, because after the Georgian College visit, I am more or less non-stop until November,” Bendana said. “The trip to Barrie really does kick off my fall tour and I am looking very forward to seeing all the students who are just as nervous as I was when I attended my first day of college.”

An estimated 4,200 first-year students will partake in the orientations (two sessions containing 2,100 students each) that will touch on a variety of topics, ranging from how to approach your classes, how to make time for studying, how to approach the the person you like, and even conversations that go deeper than all of those.

“One of my favourite things is getting that (direct message) from a student who was motivated to ask that girl out and it worked out for them, but even deeper than that are the DMs telling me that my speech stopped them from harming themselves, helped them see their worth,” Bendana said.

“Nothing can replace the feeling you get when you realize what you’re doing with your life has significantly impacted others.”

Bendana attended high school in Pickering before heading to college and ultimately realizing he had a love of speaking and helping others. After meeting up with a public speaker and discussing what was involved in the career, Bendana said he knew he had to do it and had the tools to do so.

“I already knew I could speak in front a crowd; now it was all about connecting with them in a way they would want to listen,” he said. “I use relatable stories and hilarity in them to ease students into the sessions, and make everyone feel comfortable, because those first few days of college are tough as it is.”

With tours that visit cities all over Ontario, Canada and even down to California, Bendana knows he has to keep the content fresh, but also relatable.

“Going to many colleges and universities, I know that there are similar problems facing students at every stop; different school but same issues,” said Bendana. “At the same time, each place I visit has its own uniqueness.

"Georgian is like Mohawk College, which I’ll be visiting shortly after my Barrie stop, in that there is a huge international student base and there are some very real concerns and anxiety for students who are not even from the city, let alone the country," he added.

The sessions take place Tues. Sept. 3 and are open to first-year Georgian College students only. The first session starts at 8:30 a.m. and the second follows at 10 a.m.